Kremmling – Technically, we were breaking the law.
And while I won’t go so far as to say the circumstance was entirely unique, this time it was out of sheer ignorance. Apparently, that, and the lack of a reputable witness, is good enough for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) outdoor recreation planner Andy Windsor, who was good enough to let it slide. This time. Come Saturday, however, the “get out of jail free” cards are all used up.
It was only a few weeks ago that a couple of us unwitting scofflaws stumbled over the dark side of the legal line, though, deciding it might be fun to paddle our kayaks in a head-to-head, um, “chase” to the bottom of the Gore Canyon section of the upper Colorado River near Kremmling. It was only yesterday that I discovered such race-like pursuits are not only frowned upon by the BLM, they can be quite expensive. To the tune of up to $1,000 in fines, not to mention jail time.
“Competition is not a gray area. It’s spelled out very clearly,” Windsor explained. “If two people are competing, it’s a race. If one person is competing against an established record, it’s a race. Without a Special Recreation Permit (SRP), it’s a violation of federal code. That’s written in our guidance policy.”
That code may very well be put to the test this weekend, the traditional date of the annual Gore Canyon whitewater raft and kayak race that for the first time in recent history cannot be conducted legally because of the lack of the requisite SRP. Whether some facsimile of the more than 15-year tradition will be conducted at all remains to be seen. But rest assured that Windsor and the remainder of the BLM’s Kremmling Field Office will be watching.
“The BLM will be present,” Windsor said. “We’re recognizing that something is going to happen there, but we have every bit of confidence in the boating community.”
Spanning back to the late 1980s, the Class V river race through Gore Canyon puts a new spin on a budding trend of “renegade” races the BLM faces with increasing frequency. With no official race organizers, no formal rules, no waivers, no insurance, no entry fees, no prizes and no permits, these typically ultrachallenging “nonevents” have created headaches for the agency responsible for managing public lands by a rigid book designed to maintain the resource and balance multiple use.
Races tend to originate as ideas in online forums and racers insist they are merely like-minded individuals sharing their passion on public lands at the same time.
The Gore Canyon race differs in that it began as a grassroots event spread through word of mouth long before any online forums for kayaking or whitewater rafting existed. Utilizing one of the burliest late-season runs tackled by paddlers of that early era, the race grew from friendly under-the-radar competition between the state’s hardiest kayakers and a few commercial rafting companies, to a full-blown festival buoyed by online chat rooms such as and designation as the site of the U.S. National Whitewater Rafting Championships for the past several years.
In recent years, crowds have swelled into the thousands at the over-stressed Pumphouse Recreation Area during the festival that included live music, beer gardens and jumbo video monitors, ultimately escalating into heated conflict with BLM rangers two years ago.
Lack of sponsorship this year prompted last year’s race organizer to abandon the permit process, and although efforts were made, no one else managed to pick up the ball within the 180-day window required by the BLM. As a result, some die-hards insist that the event will temporarily revert back to renegade status on a navigable waterway they consider open to a traditional use, if for no other reason than bragging rights.
The BLM sees it quite differently.
“A race is a race. Competitive events need permits,” Windsor said. “Those same requirements should have been placed on the event 15 years ago. But because (the expected gathering) this weekend is more of an unofficial type of event, we need help to keep it from being a problem. It’s better to look at it as a cooperative approach so we don’t have this kind of problem in the future.”
Staff writer Scott Willoughby can be reached at 303-954-1993 or swilloughby@denverpost.com.
